By Cochrane Library (Novemebr 2012)
The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and associated adverse events of interventions designed to increase the consumption of fruit and/or vegetables amongst children aged five years and under.
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Kirk, SF. et al. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 2012; 9(4): 1308-1318
Healthy public policy plays a central role in creating environments that are supportive of health. Breastfeeding, widely supported as the optimal mode for infant feeding, is a critical factor in promoting infant health. In 2005, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia introduced a provincial breastfeeding policy. This paper describes the process and outcomes of an evaluation into the implementation of the policy. This evaluation comprised focus groups held with members of provincial and district level breastfeeding committees who were tasked with promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in their districts. Five key themes were identified, which were an unsupportive culture of breastfeeding; the need for strong leadership; the challenges in engaging physicians in dialogue around breastfeeding; lack of understanding around the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes; and breastfeeding as a way to address childhood obesity. Recommendations for other jurisdictions include the need for a policy, the value of leadership, the need to integrate policy with other initiatives across sectors and the importance of coordination and support at multiple levels. Finally, promotion of breastfeeding offers a population-based strategy for addressing the childhood obesity epidemic and should form a core component of any broader strategies or policies for childhood obesity prevention.
By the International Association for the Study of Obesity (July 2012)
According to this report, advertising of junk food continues to undermine children’s health despite the food industry’s promises that they would restrict their marketing activities. The review of advertising in Europe undertaken by IASO, a not-for-profit organisation, found that the industry’s own figures show that children’s exposure to advertisements for fatty and sugary foods had fallen by barely a quarter over the last six years.
By the National Obesity Observatory (2012)
The SEF for dietary interventions aims to describe and explain the information that should be collected in any evaluation of an intervention that aims to improve dietary intake or associated behaviour. It is aimed at interventions that work at individual or group level, not at population level.
By ChaMPs (2012)
This film features the National Child Measurement Programme, a mandatory function that is soon to move from NHS to local authority control. The Director of Public Health for Knowsley talks about the importance of the programme and lessons learned and a local head teacher comments on how it is more effectively run through schools.
By National Obesity Observatory ( September 2012)
These SEFs aim to describe and explain the information that should be collected in any evaluation of an intervention that aims to increase participation in physical activity. It is aimed at interventions that work at individual or group level, not at population level.
Duncanson, K et al. BMC Public Health, 2012; 12: 564
The Feeding Healthy Food to Kids (FHFK) Randomised Control Trial (RCT) examines the impact of providing low cost, self-directed nutrition and parenting resources to rural parents, on child dietary intake and parent-child feeding practices.
Lipsky, L.M. et al. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2012; 166(5): pp 465-472
This article examine associations of television viewing with eating behaviors in a representative sample of US adolescents. It found television viewing was associated with a cluster of unhealthy eating behaviors in US adolescents after adjustment for socioeconomic and behavioral covariates.